Birth Control After Pregnancy

Whether you just had a baby or still have your little bun in the oven, it's not too early to start thinking about what you'll be using for birth control after pregnancy.

The early days of new parenthood may not be the sexiest of your life — and birth control after pregnancy may even seem like a nonissue. After all, your body is recovering from a pretty major (though miraculous) trauma, you’re exhausted, your breasts may be leaky, and, well, the thought of any action down there may make you break out in a cold sweat. This won’t last forever. In fact, you may find yourself ready to reconnect with your partner a lot more quickly than you think, and since you may ovulate as soon as three or four weeks after delivery, you’ll want to be prepared — and protected — when the moment strikes (unless, of course, you want back-to-back babies). Here’s what you need to know about contraception after pregnancy:

It helps to have a sense of how quickly you’d like your family to grow. There’s no need for certainty here, but ideally, you and your partner should have a rough idea about when and whether you’d like to have a second child (or third or fourth). Once you know that, choosing which birth control is best for you will become a lot easier.

What you used before may not be what you want to use now. Now that you’re a mom (or about to be), you’ve got a whole new life with a slightly different body. Condoms, which used to feel just fine, may now be uncomfortable for you. Remembering to take the pill every day may be one thing you (a) don’t want to deal with or (b) simply won’t have the brainpower for. Besides, if you’re breastfeeding, you’ll need to avoid contraception that contains estrogen, such as the pill, patch, or ring, because the hormone may affect your milk supply.

Breastfeeding offers some protection — to a point. Nursing has long been known to suppress fertility, and for some women, it can be an appealing form of birth control in the early months after delivery. If you’d like to try the lactational amenorrhea method (its official name), aka LAM, you have to be willing to breastfeed exclusively and frequently. Daytime feedings should be no more than four hours apart, and nighttime ones no more than six hours apart. Also important to know: LAM is a short-term option. It’s less reliable when your baby starts solid foods (around four to six months) and you’re nursing less often. There’s another big catch: As soon as you have your first period, you’re no longer protected — but because you won’t know you’ve ovulated until Aunt Flo arrives, there’s a chance you could conceive if you’re not using a backup method.

Now that you know the birth-control basics, read on to determine which method is best for you.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect the First Year. Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals and highly respected health organizations and institutions including ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), as well as the What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.